Now come get Kaka! Milan admit lure of Chelsea cash may prove too much

01 June 2009 02:33

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AC Milan admit they will struggle to hold on to Kaka this summer.
Carlo Ancelotti would love to take the Brazil star with him to Chelsea after being confirmed as the new Stamford Bridge boss.
And Real Madrid's new president Florentino Perez is believed to have made his signing a No 1 priority as he prepares to spend up to ?260million this summer.
It is the kind of money that San Siro general manager Adriano Galliani admits Milan cannot match as he confirmed two European giants had made enquiries for Kaka and compatriot Alexandre Pato.
Galliani predicts a mass exodus from Serie A if nothing is done to improve the whole footballing infrastructure in Italy.
'With the risk of sounding boring, if we continue like this, we will become a small league,' he said.
'We have had requests for Kaka and Pato from two of Europe's biggest clubs and we will try to resist the assault from these European clubs who have more money than us. But there is an uneven playing field.
'I remember when we signed (Marco) van Basten and we competed with Barcelona for his signature, and he chose us. Today, Barcelona and Real Madrid have an income which is double that of ours.'
Not only do the clubs in Spain and England earn more money from television revenue and marketing than the leading Serie A sides, but they can also offer more attractive wages due to more beneficial taxation rules and this, according to Galliani, is pricing Italian clubs out of the market.
'In the mid to long term, players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not going to come here,' he said.
'Thierry Henry had the same offer from Milan than he did from Barcelona but he told us he could get 50 per cent more in Spain, so he joined Barcelona.